Once the fire on the Going Merry was out, Usopp wore a pained expression as he started repairing everything. As for the culprit, he was driven onto a small lonely islet.
Good thing there was a spot ahead for Luffy to stand, or else the Going Merry wouldn't have been destroyed in a battle with Marines or pirates but set ablaze by her own captain.
Getting dumped onto a deserted island in the middle of the night
brought back some lousy memories for Luffy.
Compared with Zoro pulling the covers over his head to sleep and Usopp rushing repairs on the Going Merry, it had to be said the girl's heart was the most attentive. Nami at least tossed him a blanket.
They said not to come back until he figured out his self-zapping problem.
How was he supposed to fix it?
Luffy scratched his head and stared into space.
First he confirmed one thing. The voice wasn't an illusion, because he could see a translucent line of text before his eyes: [ Warning: Begin immediately. Punishment escalating: 5,000,000 volts. ]
What was this, a Devil Fruit ability?
Arms folded across his chest, Luffy tilted his head.
Did the Gum-Gum Fruit have this power?
As if.
Zap, zap, still zapping.
If you've got the guts, fry me to death.
I'm rubber.
Luffy was stubborn to the bone. Call it bullheaded.
If you told him to immediately eat a hundred meals, he'd chow them down in minutes.
But to train, to throw a thousand punches?
He scratched his butt, flopped over, and went to sleep.
Sleep is sleep wherever you do it. Maybe this was a dream.
Until the sun rose like always the next day.
"Luffy! How long are you going to sleep? We're setting sail. If you don't fix your problem, we're leaving you behind." Nami's voice jolted him awake.
Setting sail?
"Gum Gum—"
He shook out his hands and realized he was still sparking.
Looking closely, he saw it.
[ Warning: Begin immediately. Punishment escalating: 100,000,000 volts. ]
Damn.
What did a hundred million volts even mean?
Luffy didn't know. He just felt tingly all over and wondered if he'd suddenly pop like a firecracker.
Whether his body would explode or not, if his hand touched the Going Merry, she'd definitely blow.
He yanked his hand back, but accidentally brushed a bit of seawater.
Then he watched the fish across the whole patch of sea flip white-eyed, bellies up.
The fish said: You're really something. You must be proud of yourself.
Luffy's eyes lit up. Wasn't that the all-fish feast he dreamed of? If only they had a cook, it would be perfect.
Zoro and the others would be thrilled too.
He looked up and saw three pairs of eyes staring straight at him.
He'd just shocked the fish, and the ones on the sea hadn't been spared either.
Luffy whistled to cover his embarrassment.
But the most important thing now was figuring out what was happening.
So it couldn't be without training?
No punches, no go?
Once his stubborn streak flared, no one could do anything with him.
You say train and I just train?
Like Grandpa Garp grabbing him since he was little, saying he had to become the finest Marine.
Let whoever wants to be a Marine be a Marine. He was the man who would be Pirate King.
No compromise.
[ Warning: Detected that executor still has not followed the plan. Changing punishment mode. Entering Phase Two. Randomizing. ]
What did that mean?
His stomach gurgled.
…
People in this world had unusual constitutions.
Some could fall from ten thousand meters and still have the strength to yell about why they hadn't died.
Unless it was execution by beheading, or their bodies were riddled with bullets, or a fatal wound pierced the chest, they probably wouldn't die.
A little electrocution wouldn't even faze Nami.
Usopp was already casting a net for fish.
No one wants to eat fish all day unless there's nothing else.
Gazing at the fishy sea, Nami fell into thought.
"If he can discharge like that, even Arlong's crew wouldn't hold up," she muttered.
Clack.
At some point, a pair of hands rested on the rail.
Oh, it was Luffy.
It was Luffy.
Was he trying to sink the Going Merry?
Wait.
"No more electricity?" Nami looked up.
A figure flew from the distant islet.
Then she saw a contorted face full of hot tears. If she'd seen it at night, she'd have had nightmares.
"Don't you come any closer!"
Nami's eyes filled in an instant. She clutched her chest, trembling.
After a burst of crackling, Luffy charged into the cabin.
…
My stomach. My poor stomach.
Luffy staggered out of the bathroom looking drained, like he'd rewarded himself many times in one night.
Just made it. When Grandpa Garp trained him as a kid, most of his business was handled outdoors. Now he was older, and there were like-minded crewmates aboard.
Now for the good news. The sparks were gone. He could get back on the ship.
The bad news was that weird punishment.
Was he going to spend the next life in a bathroom?
Luffy ground his teeth.
No.
He would not go.
[ Warning: Complete ten sets of punching practice within one hour, then quickly proceed to physical and sword training with crewmate Roronoa Zoro. ]
[ Remaining time to execute: thirty seconds. Entering Phase Two punishment. Randomizing. ]
His stomach?
No. Not this time.
Luffy suddenly looked down. A special sensation tugged at him, faint but distinct.
Could it be that?
Since he was little, Garp had told him women were tigers, especially pretty ones.
Before becoming an outstanding Marine soldier, he must not touch women. Even the scariest men in the world had fallen for women.
He didn't know much about that field, but he recognized this feeling.
[ Please note. Begin immediately. Punishment countdown: ten, nine. ]
Fine, fine, I'm going, all right!
Luffy's stubbornness snapped. Any more and he'd be the one getting hurt.
He shot onto the deck and started punching.
Gum-Gum Gatling.
When he finished, he felt like he was going to die. A three-hour regimen crammed into one hour. Only those who've done it understand that pain.
Gradually, he realized who the culprit was. That pendant.
"Where'd it go? I was wearing it before bed last night."
"Wait, why did the pendant turn into a tattoo?" Luffy looked down and saw the pendant's shape on his chest, somehow fused to his body.
The only way to break this weird punishment was gone.
Was he going to be controlled from now on?
No way.
[ Warning: Proceed to the next item immediately. Punishment countdown. ]
Luffy shuddered. Wasn't it supposed to be random? Why was it locked in now?
He bolted to find Zoro.
"Zoro, help me!"
On deck, the green-haired man with earrings was lifting a barbell.
"What now," Zoro eyed him warily. "Don't interrupt my training. Go play with Usopp."
Luffy didn't say another word. He snatched Zoro's barbell and began training.
No time to talk.
Zoro froze for a long moment before he processed it.
Was the captain sick?
Luffy always pulled some stunt that left Zoro covered in bruises, but this was a first.
Was Luffy the diligent training type?
Don't joke.
Zoro was baffled, brows knotted.
Most of the time, there was a clear, simple-minded gleam in Luffy's eyes.
From their first meeting, Zoro had labeled him unreliable.
But his head wasn't wrong most of the time.
Especially in fights.
Luffy's body even had an ingrained instinct. Once he grabbed the barbell, he lifted it with practiced ease. Credit belonged to a certain devilish grandpa's special training.
As for now,
he could only console himself.
"This is something he has to go through to become Pirate King."
"Anyway, it's boring. This is how we've always gotten by. I'll just treat it as Zoro keeping me company for fun."
Luffy flipped his mindset.
It was only the first day. Maybe it would be strict at the start, and the plan would loosen later.
He grinned, spirits high, and turned to Zoro. "Why the face? Train with me."
[ Warning: No off-topic conversation during training. Punishment countdown: ten, nine. ]
Not even talking?
Not exactly.
Luffy experimented. Discussing training with Zoro didn't trigger punishment. As a training maniac, Zoro had his own insights. What to do at what time, practice swordwork, arms, and strength. As for eating, he and Luffy were on the same wavelength. Just eat more.
But once food came up, Luffy couldn't stop. He rambled about what tasted great. That didn't count as part of training and he almost got punished on the spot.
That would have been social death.
He could only focus.
"Did you hit your head?"
Zoro had rarely seen Luffy this serious, except in battle.
He didn't care much, though. Whether captain or crew, most of the time at sea everyone was idle.
That's pirates.
Most of the time, the navigator set the course, and only when they met pirates or Marines did fighters like Zoro take the stage.
…
Luffy was about to collapse.
If every day was like this, how was he supposed to live?
Where was the adventure he wanted?
"I'm starving."
"When do we eat?"
At last it was noon. Luffy lay on the deck and wailed.
"We already ate."
"Already ate? Why didn't you call me?"
Luffy's eyes bulged. Zoro's one line scared him upright.
Could he not even count on three meals a day now?
"I wasn't hungry."
Zoro swung the heavy barbell and looked back. "Didn't Nami just come to call you? You ignored her."
Luffy sprang from the deck and bolted for the galley.
He was under double pressure, mental and physical.
Because now it was lunchtime.
The countdown beside him was like a death knell. For the first time, Luffy felt that being forced to eat was torture.